To think GPs shouldn’t charge for these letters?

Try telling you solicitor or accountant that they can’t charge for letters.

I disagree, if a patient requests a letter it can be a real pain and can be time consuming.
As someone who has a lot of these requests I know.

No its not justifiable to charge patients or use staff time for something which every normal business automated decades ago.

A great deal of staff time and tax payer money is wasted doing manual, low level tasks which any business having to actually justify its costs automated long since. But rather than update its easier to make excuses and charge patients for more and more service elements whilst using the tag “free at the point of care”.

I don’t think you need the letter just take evidence eg copy of prescription, or screenshot wherever it comes from / whoever prescribes it. You can get small ice packs under 100ml.

GPs are a business.

If they weren't charging you, they'd be charging the NHS.

You aren't required to have a holiday abroad. Taxpayers dont need to fund it.

Its just part of the cost of the holiday.

They cause a lot of their own workload though with ludicrous bureaucracy. 28/56 day prescribing is an example.

Our GP surgery has just announced that they are cutting down on the services they provide. For example if you need follow up blood tests after hospital care they will now have to be done at the hospital. They are trying to free up more time so that people are not waiting so long for appointments. Certainly where I live there is a severe shortage of GPs and I can't imagine that writing letters not covered by their NHS contract is high on their list of priorities. And why should they work for nothing? Work not covered by the NHS is private work so of course it has to be paid for. Nobody would expect, say, a solicitor or accountant to write a letter for them for free would they? And compared to what I paid the last time I asked a solicitor for a letter I'd say £55 is a bargain.
I'm not saying GPs are perfect - we've had our fair share of issues with ours - but they are professional people working in difficult circumstances currently and I don't expect them to work for free any more than I'd expect anyone else to.

I am sorry but with the massive workload that the NHS has letters can be a lot of extra work so a payment is justifiable.

Can you contact or login to external company who supplies and print details from there

I had an injectable for my osteoporosis. It was outlined in my consultant's letter to my GP. Wouldn't a copy of that suffice?

I've no issue with paying a GP to write a letter and £55 wouldn’t phase me. I do, however, think that when one purchases a private service from the GP, the standard of provision needs to meet private expectations.

True. Why do I get a letter in the post telling me my appointment for the mammogram? I have text alerts, nhs app and surgery can call/email me.

the nhs is a millstone around our necks because of the stupidity of those responsible for it. It needs to be radically reorganised and yesterday

You know GPs are private businesses? If you asked a solicitor to write a letter it would cost a lot more? Or do you think the NHS should be paying to facilitate your holiday?

YABU - the GP did not prescribe this medication and it’s not NHS work. I think it’s outrageous that people expect GPs to be at their beck and call for free. £55 for a letter is reasonable.

Are you saying your entire holiday budget is £110?

You're right, the NHS app doesn't show my injections I have from the rheumatology department, the company who provides the injections only know what I have from there.

This. GP's are busy people. It's hard enough trying to get an appointment. If GP's spend time writing letters for TUI less time to see patients. It is reasonable for a charge to be made.

This discussion has shown people don't have an understanding of the NHS and the fact that the 'NHS' doesn't exist - it's a hodge podge of private suppliers, trusts, departments, bodies, consultants and GP businesses. There isn't one central computer system where the receptionist can just press print and hey presto a tailored letter pops out. When the government proposes that people get outraged (because it would involve sharing medical data across lots of private and public organisations). The OPs GP doesn't prescribe this, a consultant does, there's no NHS app record for whatever reason and it's delivered by a private business.

This is why it costs £55 and it's reasonable for the GP to charge it. It's not an essential funded service and most of us would object in the strongest terms to our health service providing holiday admin - £55 wouldn't pay to park your car for a weekend at an airport. It's a drop in the ocean compared to the average cost of a holiday.

The balkanisation of our health service is the worst output of the PPI model and it would be much cheaper to supply a letter if we had one central NHS that managed GP services but it still should not be free.

I do don't automatically get a copy of my prescription but if I ask for it they can print it.

Just looking at my son’s app for keeping track of his Amgevita syringes, it only ever says his prescription is ready, but there’s no copy of the prescription itself. It would be so handy to have this. Might just leave some feedback about it, as we’re in the same boat as you, having no evidence of his prescription anywhere, written or digital.

Edited to add there is no pharmacy sticker on it either.

This is what I do too and mine's a controlled substance.

Not necessarily. I have an injectable drug for rheumatoid arthritis. It's not prescribed by the GP I get supplies from the hospital and you don't get a copy of the prescription. Nor does it show up on the NHS app.
I think it's the fact it's a needle rather than the content of the drug. My rheumatology nurse will arrange for a letter free.
Tbh I'm happy to pay as I don't expect the NHS to pay for everything.
If you can't get your consultant OP just ask their secretary.

It's a very good comparison, you couldnt actually get a much better comparison to be honest. Many lawyers will provide legal aid work which is funded by the government alongside their private work. This is done to a strict criteria. Anything that does not come under legal aid will not qualify for legal aid funding. Private work will be charged according. Our lawyer charges in 5 minute blocks and all postage is detailed on their invoice on top of this. The hourly rate is for their expertise not for buying stamps.

I take a biological treatment injection every 4 weeks that’s delivered every few months. It’s prescribed by my consultant not my gp. But it’s still on my list of prescribed meds. Ask your doctors receptionist to print you out a list of your current medications. It should be free. I wasn’t actually asked for it but had it in case.
But I agree they shouldn’t charge £55 or the airlines shouldn’t require it.

I do sympathise with the situation you are in but think you are blaming the wrong service. You should have a record of everything you are prescribed but this should be for the prescriber to supply so the consultant or hospital department not the GP. It also highlights a problem that if this isn’t in your record and you are admitted as an emergency whoever deals with you won’t have complete information. Do you have time before you travel to email the department and point out that nothing on your records shows this and ask for that to be rectified and you given a note if this will not show on your NHS app in time?
Hope you can get it sorted in time, the stress will not be helping your condition.

Because they are doing that in NHS time which they are contracted to do and are obligated to provide certain things.
Tbey are not obligated to write letters for something that they have no part of so they charge accordingly. They will have a private hourly rate and probably charge at 15 minute blocks so if it takes 5 minutes then you pay for 1 block, if it takes 17 minutes you pay for 2 blocks. That is how private business operates.
Nobody here has said they hate ill people or even given any slight indication that is the case. They just recognise that the NHS can only give so much. It's not as if your only option to get the information is via your GP. If that was the case you would be right to be angry about it but thats not the case as several people have already told you. Either contact your consultants secretary or contact the company that delivers it to you.

I doubt you will need a letter.
£55 is hefty, a charge of £20 maybe.